


Secure

by CottonCandyWhump



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Chen whump, Gen, Hurt Lucy Chen, PTSD, PTSD flashback, Whump, Worried Tim Bradford, hurt!chen, post kidnapping, rape mention, worried!bradford
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22053400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CottonCandyWhump/pseuds/CottonCandyWhump
Summary: Request: Tim’s reaction and emotions after the winter finale and what he does during the search for her. And the moment they find Lucy.
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ltabor30](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ltabor30/gifts).



Bradford stumbles into the locker room, half asleep and five minutes late. He had only been “awake” for half an hour and his day was already off to a bad start. His alarm didn’t go off, he was out of coffee, his car broke down. Anything that could have gone wrong, did. And at this point, he seriously doubted whether thinggs could possibly get worse.

Walking into the briefing room, his eyes blearily open to slits, Bradford takes his usual seat beside the other TO’s and puts his head down on the table. Grey stops his speech, glancing at the new arrival. 

“Officer Bradford,” he greets, going back to his speech. Tim lifts his head, unnerved by the lack of sarcastic comment. Taking in the expression of worry and pity on Grey’s face, Bradford snaps awake, sitting up straight. A quick survey of the room reveals similar expressions. 

“What’s going on?” Bradford asks, glancing around the room. The absence of one Lucy Chen hits him. “Where’s my boot?”

Nobody answers him. Lopez puts a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it slightly. He turns to look at her, getting more and more worried.

“What’s going on? Somebody tell me what happened!”

Grey sighs, looking towards him. “Tim, can I talk to you outside?”

The TO stands, following the Sergeant out into the hallway. Grey wastes no time. “We received a letter from a man named Caleb Wright. He has Lucy.”

Tim feels his heart stop, his breath catching in his chest. 

“No,” he breathes. “No!”

With a shout, he lashes out, punching the glass separating the briefing room and the hallway. The glass cracks, a few shards inbedding themselves in his knuckles. He goes to swing again when Grey grabs his arms, pinning them to his sides in a bear hug. Bradford struggles, writhing around to try and get free. 

“Bradford, calm down. Now. That’s an order!” 

Tim keeps struggling, throwing his head back and catching Grey in the jaw. “You can’t help her until you calm down!”

Reluctantly, Tim freezes, knowing that the Sergeant was right. Grey let’s go of him, keeping a hand on his arm just in case. Tim looks up to his Sergeant, all traces of his previous panic replaced by a cold, steely, determination. 

“Let’s find her.”

~~~

“Alright, everyone. I’m sure you’ve all heard about Officer Chen’s disappearance but for those of you who haven’t, here’s what we know,” Grey announces, stepping aside to let Tim take over.

“Officer Chen went out on a date with a man named Caleb Wright last night. According to Officer West, Officer Chen’s roommate, she didn’t come home last night and didn’t show up to work today.”

Grey takes over again, stepping forwards. “We received a letter this morning. It said,” Grey tells them, whiting on the whiteboard as he speaks. “Dearest LAPD, I have Officer Chen, as I’m sure you have noticed. Our date was just wonderful. Your rookie is truly a talented lady. She may even be a model one day, she’s certainly photogenic enough. Good luck with the search, officers. And give Officer Bradford my best.”

Tim glances up, grabbing the paper from Grey. His own name jumps out at him, looking strange in the foreign handwriting. Grey gives him a warning look. Bradford scowls but ultimately hands the paper back.

“I want West and Lopez to head to Wright’s address 121 Brealie. Chances are she won’t be there but look around, see if you can find anything. Nolan, Harper head to Chen and West’s place.” 

“Wait, why can’t Lopez and I search my place?” West interrupts.

“You live there. You’re more likely to overlook something,” Lopez explains, her words lacking their usual bite.

Tim drifts off, his thoughts making their way to Chen, while Grey finishes giving everyone their orders. He snaps back to reality when everyone stands up, heading off in their seperate directions.

“Officer Bradford, with me,” Grey tells him. Tim follows close behind until they get to Grey’s office. 

“Sir?” 

“Sit down.”

Bradford takes a seat, arms crossed. Grey sits opposite him, his arms folded on the desk.

“Did Chen tell you anything about her date?”

Tim looks at him with a look of disgust. “Sir, I’m not her gal pal, I’m her TO.”

Grey lets out a sigh but ultimately doesn’t say anything.

“Did she mention anything to you? Anything at all? Where she was planning on going or if they were meeting anyone?” 

“She mentioned going for drinks… I don’t think they were planning on meeting anyone.”

“Good. That’s good.”

Before they get any further, Grey’s computer beeps, prompting him to glance over. A look of horror slowly overtakes his features. Pushing his chair back, Bradford leaps up, staring at the screen. 

A picture of Chen was covering the whole screen, her pale body curled up on a concrete floor, completely and utterly naked. Her hands were bound behind her back and her feet were tied to a red, rusty pole. Her dark hair was matted with blood, the same blood that was dripping down her face. There was a puddle that looked suspiciously like vomit a few feet from her face and she was looking at the camera in terror.

Tim feels a rush of different emotions flow through him. First comes shock, then horror, then fear, and then, finally, pure unbridled rage.

“I swear to god, I’m going to-,” Bradford starts. The door to Grey’s office slams open and West and Lopez come running in, West holding some notebooks and Lopez with a coffee in her hand. 

“Sir, we found something,” West announces. “He has her at a warehouse near the pier.”

Bradford stands up, knocking his chair back. “Well, let’s go!” 

Grey doesn’t argue, instead following the group out of the office. Lopez hands Bradford the coffee, along with a pat on the back and says, “That’s for you, buddy. You look like you need it.”

“I don’t need coffee, I need to find my boot!” Tim snaps, glaring at Lopez. The other TO looks at him for a second, smirking when he takes a sip of the coffee anyway.

“Alright!” Grey shouts, attracting everyone’s attention. “Officer Chen is being held in warehouse number seven at the pier. I’ve called in SWAT and they should-.”

Bradford’s phone pings. The training officer glances down at it, seeing another picture of Chen, this time with a gun to her head and a caption at the bottom reading “Tick-tock, Timmy. Half an hour.”. 

“We don’t have time to wait for SWAT! He’s going to kill her!” Bradford exclaims, jumping up, showing the picture to Grey. 

“Alright! Change of plans! I want everyone to find a partner, rookies with your TO’s! I want you all at the pier in ten minutes. Go!” 

Bradford rushes for the shop, stopping briefly to grab the tactical gear, before heaidng for the warehouse, stealing quick glances at his phone for any Chen-related updates.

Grey and the rest of them get there a few minutes later, their cars skidding to a stop beside his. 

“Alright, let’s go!”

Everyone heads in, staying close to their partner. Bradford heads in, no partner and no second thoughts. 

He stays close to the wall, his gun trained ahead of him as he moves, silently, through the dark warehouse. For a few minutes the only sound was his quiet footsteps, echoing softly in the dark corridor. Then, he hears it. A small cry. 

Pausing, Bradford cocks his head, listening carefully for another sound. Sure enough, he hears a muffled sob. The training officer steps into the dark room, swinging his gun around as he clears it. There, in the corner, is a wooden crate, just barely big enough for a german shepard… or a person. 

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, Bradford makes his way over to the crate. Gun in front of him just in case, he slowly peels the top off, wincing at the loud creak.

“Please. Please no more.”

Bradford’s heart stops as he takes in the shaking form of his boot, curled up inside the crate. Like the photograph, her hair was matted with blood and she was completely naked. He didn’t have time to worry about either of these things, though. There were more pressing concerns.

“Hey, Chen. Don’t worry, I’m here. I’m here,” he tells her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She freezes, lifting her hand up slightly. Their eyes meet and she lets out a sob, grabbing onto his arm.

“I’m here. It’s okay. I’m here,” he whispers, wrapping his arms around her. Chen sobs, her legs shaking too hard for her to stand on her own. Loud footsteps echo through the corridor outside. Chen flinches, shoving her head further into his chest. Shifting so his rookie is behind him, Bradford carefully pulls his gun out, aiming it at the doorway.

Sergeant Grey comes bursting in the door, his gun outing front of him. Upon spotting Tim, his arms around Lucy, he motions towards the door. “Get her out of here.”

Needing no further encouragement, Tim grabs her arm, leading her towards the doorway. They had only taken two steps towards the exit when Chen’s legs give out, sending her to the ground. Biting his lip as he weighs his two options, Bradford decides that while picking up his naked rookie may be a little inappropriate, it would certainly save them time and possibly their lives. 

“Chen, we need to get out of here. I’m going to pick you up, okay?” 

Chen nods her consent although she flinches when Bradford touches her. Carefully, Tim carries her out, one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, being careful not to scare her. 

They get to the ambulance and Tim lays her down on the gurney, taking a seat in the ambulance beside her. Immediately, Tim takes his jacket off, draping it over his rookie as the paramedics look her over. They get to the hospital in record time, Tim never leaving her side.

“Officer Chen, I’m Dr. Alexa Harren. I’m going to check you over, alright?”

Chen nods, still shaking. Without thinking about it, Bradford’s hand finds it’s way over to hers, squeezing it firmly. Partway through the checkup, Chen falls asleep, soft snores filling the room as her hand dangles limply in his.

The doctor turns to him, glancing quickly at Chen before speaking. “Physically she seems alright. Apart from the blow to her head and a couple broken ribs, she’ll unharmed. Once she wakes up, we’ll test for a concussion and do a… um… a rape kit.”

For the third time that day Tim’s heart skips a beat. “You think she was raped?”

“It’s possible,” the doctor admits. “With the circumstances and her lack of clothing, it’s very possible that he may have…”

“Okay. That’s… okay. I can stay with her, right?”

The doctor looks hesitant but after a quick glance at their still joined hands, she nods. “For now. If she wakes up and wants you gone… well…”

The doctor trails off, glancing meaningfully at the door. 

“Yeah.”


	2. Chapter 2

It had only been three months since the “incident”, and only two days since Chen had returned to work when it happened. They were out patrolling, as usual, when they had gotten a call for a public disturbance at the mall. 

“LAPD! Everyone, put your hands up!” Bradford orders, hand by his hip, ready to grab his gun or taser if need be.

“She’s crazy, man!” A large man wearing an ACDC shirt and some black jeans tells them, pointing to a lady a few feet away dressed in a fuzzy yellow sweater and blue jeans.

“I’m crazy?! I’m crazy?! You’re the one who tried to molest my daughter!”

“Calm down, lady! All I did was ask her if she was lost!”

Chen looks around and, sure enough, finds a small girl, around five or six, sitting on a bench nearby with tear stained cheeks. With a quick glance at her TO to ensure he has the current situation covered, she heads over to the young girl, dressed in a pink Paw Patrol shirt and some gray leggings.

“Hey there. I’m Lucy. What’s your name?” 

The small girl looks up at her with fear filled eyes. “Maddy.”

“Maddy, huh? That’s a pretty name. I like your shirt. Who’s your favourite character?” Lucy asks. The small girl smiles at her, moving a bit closer.

“I like Chase. He’s the police puppy,” Maddy answers.

“Really? He’s my favourite too. I also like Sky.”

The little girl's eyes widen in excitement as she looks up at Lucy. “You watch Paw Patrol, too?!”

“Yeah! It’s one of my favourite shows,” she tells her, omitting the part about how it was the only thing she could stand to watch since being taken by Caleb. 

Anytime she turned on 911 or The Resident or any of her previous favourites, she would be filled with a sense of panic and in some cases, have a flashback right in her living room. Jackson had admittedly been a little confused to find her watching a kids show about cartoon dogs saving people but hadn’t said anything.

“It’s my favourite show too.”

“Maddy, can I ask you a question?”

The little girl nods.

“The man over there with the black t-shirt, did he do anything to you?”

“He asked me if I was lost and if I needed help finding my mommy.”

“Okay. Did he touch you at all?”

The little girl nods and Chen feels her heart sink. “I held his hand so I wouldn’t get lost.”

Chen exhales, thankful that nothing worse had happened to the young girl. “So he didn’t hurt you?”

“No, he was nice. His name is Owen.”

“That’s good. Thank you for your help, Maddy.” Chen tells her. “Do you want a sticker?”

The little girl nods enthusiastically and Chen hands her a police badge sticker. The little girl screams loudly, startling everyone in the nearby vicinity. Chen flinches, unsure of what she did wrong. 

“I’m just like Chase! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Maddy yells, wrapping her arms around Chen’s legs. Lucy smiles before taking the girls hand and leading her over to her mother. 

“Mommy! Mommy! Lucy gave me a Chase sticker! I’m going to be like Chase!”

“Really? That’s awesome. Did you say thank you?”

Maddy nods and Chen looks up to Tim who sends her a look, silently asking if the man had done anything. Chen responds with a look of her own, reassuring him that everything was alright.

“Well, it looks like everything is all sorted,” Bradford observes.

The woman turns towards the two officers and the other man, Owen. “I’m really sorry for overreacting. We had a close call about three months ago and ever since then…” the lady trails off with a choked breath.

“It’s alright, ma’am,” Chen tells her, grabbing one of her cards. “Feel free to call if you need anything.”

“Thank you so much,” the lady says, wrapping her arms around the young officer.

Chen’s about to respond when the first few notes of Don’t Stop Believing comes through the intercom, the previous song having ended. The familiar melody makes heart race as it sends her back to Caleb’s trunk, being unable to breathe or move or do anything but listen helplessly as he sings along to the song, uncaring of the terrified woman in his trunk.

“Chen? Chen!” Bradford’s voice cuts through the panic, his hand on her shoulder. Chen flinches back, her TO’s concerned frown morphing into Caleb’s cruel smirk. With a choked breathe, Chen stumbles back into the wall of the mall’s jewellery shop. 

Bradford watches in horror as his rookie flinches away from his touch, instead staring at him in terror, not seeming to recognize him. Recognizing the signs of a PTSD flashback, he backs away, his hands up in surrender. They stay there, at a stand still for a while, the lady and man from the call watching in shock. After a few minutes, Chen blinks, coming back to reality. Her eyes dart around the mall, taking in the shoppers who had stopped to stare at her, some with their phones out, filming the scene. 

“Chen?” Bradford calls, chancing a step forwards. She doesn’t flinch away from him this time and Tim decides to take that as a win.

“I’m sorry,” she mutters, shaking her head. “I don’t know what got into me.”

“Don’t apologize. We’ll talk about this later,” Bradford tells her, glancing around at all the people watching them. Chen nods, hurriedly wiping the tears from her face.

Her TO puts an arm around her, leading her out into the shop. He pulls out of the parking lot and onto the main road. They ride in silence for a few minutes, both of them lost in their thoughts, before Tim speaks up, effectively breaking the silence.

“What triggered it?” He asks. Chen snaps out of her thoughts, turning to face him. 

“What?”

“Your flashback. What triggered it?”

She’s quiet for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to answer him. “The song. Don’t Stop Believing.”

“Okay,” he says carefully, making a mental note of his boots trigger. “Why?”

Again, Chen’s quiet for a while before answering, taking a moment to organize her thoughts into words. “It was on the radio when I was…” she swallows back tears and forces herself to continue. “When I was in his trunk. He was singing along to it. I could hear him. It was so dark and so tight and I couldn’t breathe but I could hear him singing.”

This time it’s Tim’s turn to go quiet. “What do you need to do to make a citizen’s arrest, Boot?”

“What?”

“What do you need to do to make a citizen’s arrest?”

“You have to catch the person in the act of committing a crime. You call the authorities. You don’t use force unless necessary.”

They go on like that for a while, Bradford quizzing her from everything from traffic laws to suicide prevention in between calls. They break for lunch and get back on the street. There’s another few moments of silence before Bradford speaks again. 

“Have you been talking to somebody?”

“What?”

“About everything that’s happened?”

Chen frowns. “The department has me in therapy.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Not really. I’ve been writing though.”

“Good,” Bradford nods, satisfied. “But if you ever need to talk…” 

He trails off before he finishes his sentence but Chen understands. 

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That took forever, I’m so sorry. I’ve been struggling with writers block recently and I blame exams.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m currently working on a follow up.


End file.
